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Mom in Space – Discovery Shuttle Astronauts Are All Parents
The NASA shuttle Discovery is set to blast off Friday morning, carrying Nicole Stott and her fellow astronauts into space. Stott, 46, who’s mom to a seven-year-old son, will be the first women to live on a space station while she still has a child at home.
It’s a sacrifice that Stott is willing to make. Though she’s been away from her family for six months already and will spend three more on the space station, Stott believes that she’s doing work that will one day be important to her son.
Stott said in an interview, reported by the Associated Press:
“I can honestly say I would not be doing this if I didn’t think it was to help improve life here on Earth for him (son) and make things better for the future for him and other kids as well.”
While Stott’s away, her husband Chris will care for their son. But what’s really interesting about this particular flight is that all seven astronauts on board are parents. Among them are two fathers with five kids each, all under 14, three dads of grown children, and Commander Rick Sturckow, whose children are six and eight.
I bet that when they aren’t busy doing astronaut stuff, they’ve got some great stories to share. And their kids have some unique bragging rights, too. I mean, how cool would it be to say, “I’ll have to ask my mom for permission. Next time I talk to her from space.” Maybe they’ll even inspire their little ones into careers in science.
With any luck, Mother Nature will cooperate Friday, and these great moms and dads will kick-off their mission. You and your earthbound family can follow along at home. Jose Hernandez will be Twittering the mission from space.
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0 Comments
Sarah commented on Aug 26 09 at 3:17 pmIs she the first parent to do so? I don’t see why her gender particularly matters here.
Dena Moore commented on Aug 26 09 at 6:10 pmA lot of astronauts were/are parents. Why does it matter that she is a woman? On the other hand…I personally could never leave my children for that long. Even if the father was home with them.
bethanysanders commented on Aug 26 09 at 6:15 pmIt’s true that all of the astronauts are parents, as I pointed out in the article. I highlighted Stott, since she’ll be the first mom of a young child on the space shuttle, and I thought that was interesting.
Sarah commented on Aug 27 09 at 10:13 amAs a mother who shares childcare responsibilities equally with her husband, and who knows a number of men who are the primary caregivers to their children, I just think that highlighting the fact that a MOM is going into space helps to reinforce the stereotype that women have more responsibilities at home than do men.
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